This invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing pillowcases or similar articles, and more particularly to a versatile apparatus and method suitable for forming pillowcases of various different styles.
Pillowcases are conventionally manufactured in several different styles, the most common style having a relatively plain hem wherein the fabric at the mouth of the pillowcase is folded back along the interior of the pillowcase and sewn thereto to form a plain folded hem. A more stylized type of pillowcase utilizes a separate attached piece of fabric at the mouth of the pillowcase to form what is commonly referred to as an attached border or attached hem. Often the attached hem is of a contrasting color fabric from the fabric forming the body portion of the pillowcase, and often lace or decorative trim is included between the body portion of the pillowcase and the attached hem portion. In still another style of pillowcase, which is commonly referred to as a mock attached hem style, the fabric at the mouth of the pillowcase is folded back along the exterior of the pillowcase and sewn to the underlying fabric, usually with an additional piece of trim or lace positioned therebetween to thereby give the appearance of a separate attached hem.
The most common method of manufacturing all of the above types of pillowcases is a semi-automated operation utilizing sewing machines, but requiring operators to handle the fabric and guide it through the sewing machine to form the various seams and hems in the pillowcase. While machines have been proposed for partially or completely automating the pillowcase manufacturing operation, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,694,372, 2,940,404, 3,126,848 and 3,227,118, these machines either require that the hemming operation be done manually, or else the machines are limited to the plain folded type of hem. So far as applicant is aware there is no machine available for automatically manufacturing pillowcases of the attached hem style.